Farnese, Alessandro, Duke of Parma definition of Farnese, Alessandro, Duke of Parma in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Farnese (färnā`zā), Italian noble family that ruled Parma Parma (pär`mä), city (1991 pop. 170,520), capital of Parma prov.
..... Click the link for more information. and Piacenza Piacenza (pyächān`tsä), city (1991 pop. 102,268), capital of Piacenza prov., in Emilia-Romagna, on the Po River.
..... Click the link for more information. from 1545 to 1731. In the 12th cent. the Farnese held several fiefs in Latium. They became one of the most prominent families in Rome and were Guelph supporters of the papacy. In 1534,

Alessandro Farnese became pope as Paul III Paul III, 1468–1549, pope (1534–49), a Roman named Alessandro Farnese; successor of Clement VII. He was created cardinal by Alexander VI, and his influence increased steadily.
..... Click the link for more information. . He used his office to aggrandize his family and in 1545 he detached lands from the papal dominions to create the duchy of Parma and Piacenza for his illegitimate son,

Pier Luigi Farnese, 1503–47. Pier Luigi attacked fiscal and judicial abuses; he thereby gained the hatred of the nobility and was assassinated. His son,

Ottavio Farnese, 1520–86, who succeeded him, married Margaret of Austria (see Margaret of Parma Margaret of Parma, 1522–86, Spanish regent of the Netherlands; illegitimate daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. She was married (1536) to Alessandro de' Medici (d. 1537) and (1538) to Ottavio Farnese, duke of Parma.
..... Click the link for more information. ), illegitimate daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V Charles V, 1500–1558, Holy Roman emperor (1519–58) and, as Charles I, king of Spain (1516–56); son of Philip I and Joanna of Castile, grandson of Ferdinand II of Aragón, Isabella of Castile, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and Mary of
..... Click the link for more information. . Ottavio's brother,

Alessandro Farnese, 1520–89, was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. A patron of men of letters such as Pietro Bembo and of artists such as Giorgio Vasari, he oversaw the completion of the Farnese Palace Farnese Palace, in Rome, designed by Antonio da Sangallo (see under Sangallo ) for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (Pope Paul III). It was begun before 1514 and, after the architect's death, was continued by Michelangelo and completed by Giacomo della Porta.
..... Click the link for more information. in Rome. Ottavio's son and successor was

Alessandro Farnese Farnese, Alessandro (älĕs-sän`drō färnā`zā)
..... Click the link for more information. , 1545–92, one of the great generals of his time (see separate article). Alessandro's son,

Ranuccio I, 1569–1622, reformed the duchy's administration and judicial system and was a benefactor of education and the arts. The four dukes who succeeded Ranuccio I were less distinguished rulers, although they continued the family's patronage of the arts despite increasing economic and political troubles. The last duke of the line, Antonio, died in 1731. His niece, Elizabeth Farnese Elizabeth Farnese (färnā`sā)
..... Click the link for more information. , queen of Philip V of Spain, secured (1748) the succession to the duchy for her son Philip, founder of the line of Bourbon-Parma.

Bibliography

See R. Solari, The House of Farnese (1968).

Farnese

1. Alesandro . original name of (Pope) Paul III

2. Alessandro, duke of Parma and Piacenza. 1545--92, Italian general, statesman, and diplomat in the service of Philip II of Spain. As governor of the Netherlands (1578--92), he successfully suppressed revolts against Spanish rule

Farnese (redirected from Farnese, Alessandro, Duke of Parma)

Bibliography

Farnese
(redirected from Farnese, Alessandro, Duke of Parma)